It would be an understatement for Stiles to say that Lydia was different after she got out of Eichen. The creepy asylum was one of those places where it was virtually impossible to make it out without being changed in one shape or form.

Of course he knew Lydia's brain was almost mottled beyond repair and she had a still healing hole in the side of her head, but there was something that surprised him even more.

Her biceps were way bigger than his and he had been doing push ups for lacrosse.

So at lunch when the rowdy pack was busy having were-induced arm wrestling competitions, and, since they were the only ones in the pack without superhuman strength, he decided to challenge a particular little strawberry blonde to an arm wrestle. He wasn't worried about hurting her since the hole in her head was almost completely healed and she was feeing like herself again. Stiles wouldn't want to challenge her otherwise.

"Lydia-you and me, right now." He said cockily, and everyone chorused in oohs as Liam rubbed his wrist- he had just gotten defeated by Scott again. Lydia scoffed and rolled her eyes before turning away from her salad to Stiles.

"You're at least twice the size of me Stiles, that doesn't sound fair to me." She said, furiously taking another bite of her lunch.

"Come on Lyds, just give it a go. The Lydia I know would never shy away from a challenge." The rest of the pack was engaged in their bickering, looking at Stiles' hand as he rolled up his flannel sleeve. Lydia pursed her lips and said a single fine before scooting to were their temporary arm wrestle arena was set up, and pulled up the sleeve of her cardigan.

He latched his hands around hers and his worries of losing all of his prided manliness disappeared when he felt how little her hand was. Lydia didn't have a chance.

Scott placed his hand over theirs before Kira shouted "GO!" And their grip on each other strengthened.

Stiles face was turning beet red as he tried furiously to push her hand even a little bit to her side, but she just kept a straight face, even giving a little playful smirk! It wavered the slightest bit to her side before she used all of the strength she had and pushed his hand down onto the table so fast and strong it hit the table with a crack! Was she not trying before? How the hell did Lydia beat him?!

Stiles yelped out and gripped his elbow as the rest of the pack gasped, and shot their eyes to Lydia. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and noticed their prying eyes on her bicep before she yanked the sleeve of her sweater down.

"Jesus, Lydia, how the hell did you do that? Got some sudden power or something?" Malia mused and the pack broke out into hooping and hollering, grabbing Lydia and giving her a congratulatory fist bumps. She smiled, and noticed Stiles staring at her with eyes as wide as saucers.

"What, I do push ups," She shrugged but that did not shake Stiles' confusion from his mind.

-

During Stiles' eternally boring English class, his mind was still fixated on how Lydia got so ripped. Stiles new he wasn't that strong, but now even Lydia, the 5'3 girly girl, could beat him in arm wrestling. What the hell was up with that?

The teachers annoying voice was faded as Stiles was distracted by his own thoughts, until he was yanked back to reality and saw a flash of strawberry blonde hair pass by the window. His hand shot up and he asked the teacher if he could 'use the bathroom,' and the teacher groaned before letting him go.

Stiles shot up from his seat and ran outside the classroom, seeing Lydia in her dainty heels and dress by her locker a couple doors down. Stiles walked quietly down the hallway, planning to ask her how she got so strong lately. He walked up behind her and outstretched a hand to tap on her shoulder,  and then Lydia did something that surprised him even more than her arm wrestling victory.

Without even looking behind her, she elbowed Stiles right in the neck, knocking the wind out of him, and then flipped around and grabbed his neck while simultaneously hooking her leg around his and using it to swipe his feet from underneath him. Stiles crashed to the ground and Lydia flipped him on his stomach, having one heel and one knee pressed into his back and his arm twisted at an odd angle that seemed one move away from breaking bone.

It all happened so fast that Lydia didn't even realize who she was attacking until Stiles groaned out, "What the fuck, Lyds?"

She gasped and released him immediately. "Oh my god, Stiles, do not sneak up on my like that!" She whisper yelled, dusting off her dress and giving him a hand to stand up. He wheezed as he stood and tumbled forward, Lydia using her hands to steady him. When he looked up he noticed her green eyes were filled with concern.

"I take it your combat skills have something to do with how huge your muscles are?" Stiles groaned, rubbing his throat where she elbowed him. She sighed and closed her eyes, biting her lip. "What's been going on, Lyds? I know Eichen isn't an easy thing to talk about," Lydia shuddered and clenched her hands.

"But I've been there too. I know how horrible it is. You can talk to me about it." Stiles reached out his hand to grab hers and she flinched before easing into it. Her eyes looked into his and he saw there were tears collecting there. Her lips were trembling and her hands began to shake. One of her hands went up and wiped away the unspilled tears, and Stiles noticed she was about to speak, breathing a sigh or relief. They sunk down together in defeat and sat on the ground, leaning against the lockers.

"After the Nogitsune was killed, I didn't want to feel weak. I was sick of being helpless. And it was a distraction for me, it stopped me from thinking about her. I learned to defend myself, I gained strength.

"I tried to escape. I tried countless times to get out. I would make it so close, but not even any skills and strength I had could beat a lightning rod," Lydia laughed to herself, looking down and tracing a trail of darkness on her skin. Stiles noticed and his eyes widened, they had never done anything that harmful to him.

"When I wasn't being used as Valak's guinia pig or being watched like a hawk by the orderlies, I worked. I worked and worked and worked in hopes that eventually I would get out. But I didn't need to try." Her eyes closed to a minute and she had a small smile on her features. Then she turned to him with the smile he hand grown to love.

"You saved me,"

-

Later in the school week, Lydia's words still warmed his heart. She had already said it once, and that made Stiles happy enough, but hearing her soft lips speak those sweet words of baby blue again made him want to jump into the sky out of elatedness.

But when he was walking through the halls happily on his way to his locker one last time before he escaped the dreaded school with a little skip in his step, something took that happiness and crushed it on the ground.

"I can't believe she went from being the hottest girl in school to being Beacon Hills resident psycho." Stiles heard a popular prick say, laughing along with the rest of his friends. He ducked behind a locker and clenched his fists hard, trying to refrain from socking the guy right in the jaw.

"I mean, I know she went off the wagon once before but Jesus, now she's even been to an asylum!" The same guy continued saying before another one cut in.

"What a crazy bitch! Am I right?" He yelled, causing the rest of the group gathered around him to laugh.

That sent Stiles over the edge. How could anyone say something like that about her? They didn't even know what she was going through! If they had been through hell and back like she did, they would never say such a thing about her. Stiles was going to make them pay for that. His hands crunched into fists and he blasted around the corner, grabbing the guy who called her a bitch and shoved him hard against the lockers. His hands that gripped the guys shirt collar shook with wrath.

"What did you say about her?" Stiles raged, pushing the kid against the locker even harder.

"What the fuck, man? The hell are you talking about" He said, squirming under Stiles' grasp.

"Lydia Martin. She is not crazy, and if you knew what kind of hell she has been going through, you would regret what you just said." Voice was trembling and he banged the kid against the locker again before one of his friends pulled Stiles off of him.

"I don't know, she seems pretty fucking crazy to me. That slut even went to Eichen!" The person who pulled him away said, and everyone surrounding Stiles erupted in a chorus of laughs. The brown haired boy's eyes narrowed at him.

"What did you just call her?" Stiles' voice was laced with the venom of a cobra.

"I called her a slut, jackass. What me to spell it for you? S-L-U-"

He was cut off my Stiles' strong fist connecting with his jaw, and the attacked tumbled to the ground, looking up at him with pain on his face. Stiles shook his sore hand out before popping his knuckles, reading for a fight.

His only incentive was her- the amazing whirlwind of a girl he called the one he loved. She was strong, stronger than she could ever imagine. Lydia was an Amazon warrior, fierce and independent, taking down any opponent that was brought forth. And now, Stiles didn't need to fight like a werewolf- he needed to fight like Lydia.

All of the men surrounding him collapsed in like a destroyed thatch roof and began to hit him all over, but one flash in his mind of her green eyes gave him the strength to push them all off, his elbow connecting with someone's cheek and his foot kicking another's groin.

One managed to sock Stiles in the jaw and he stumbled to the ground, pain running from his cheek through his body. But when the pain was replaced with adrenaline, Stiles used his feet to sweep the one that punched him to the ground.

Blood tricked down his lip as he finished off the rest, leaving them down and groaning. He was blown away by his handiwork, but that was simply the side that came from him when someone threatened Lydia.

-

She was getting impatient.

Lydia's green eyes continually scanned over last years biology notes, ready to use all the information to help Stiles, but it had been at least thirty minutes since he was supposed to come over. How was she supposed to help him with homework if he didn't even show up?

She let out an exasperated sigh before pulling on her favorite green coat and gathering up all the notes on her bed before setting on her way to Stiles' house.

Her hand rapped at the door and started a series of memories coursing through her brain- all the late nights spent trying to take down whatever supernatural creature that was threatening them at the time, the tiring hours where he would comfort her back to sleep after a horrible nightmare.

The door creaked open and Lydia's breath was ripped away. Stiles was behind it, but his face was damaged and bruised. His lip was cut, and the cheek was turning a sickening shade of purple. His honey eyes- that usually had a sort of twinkle in them- were dull and dark, surrounded by circles of grey.

"S-Stiles," Was all Lydia managed to breathe out, her lower lip trembling. His eyes just stared back at her, tired and doe like. He noticed that her hands started to shake.

"They were talking about you. They were saying- they were calling you crazy," His voice was creaky and rumbling, but his words were said with intention. Even behind the hurt mask of the sound, he sounded determined- like a warrior.

"I don't want you getting hurt because of what some jerk said about me," She said, "They don't matter. I care more about you than their words,"

Stiles let out a low trembling breath before saying, "I know you don't care, but I do. I don't want anyone taking about you like that, and if I can do anything to stop them, I will.

"You're so strong and I know you can fend for yourself, but I will always protect you. No matter what," He said, and Lydia leapt forward, slinging her arms around his neck and burying her her head in his neck. Stiles held her just as tight, bringing one hand up to gently cradle her head.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, repeating "I will always protect you," enough so that he knew she would believe that even strong and fierce warriors like her had someone to keep them safe.

Lydia stayed there in his soft and warm embrace, letting the tears she kept buried come forward because she had someone-a warrior- to protect her.

-

A/N:

because I love bamf Lydia and protective stiles equally.

Please make sure to like and comment!

Peace out y'all